Polling stations opened at 6 a.m. local time, following a bugle wake-up call and fireworks.

Almost 20 million Venezuelans are registered to vote for 545 members of the National Constituent Assembly.

The head of the CNE, Tibisay Lucena, said Friday that the fingerprint-based voting process is automated and guaranteed that the rule of “one elector, one vote” will be in place. The rule prohibits voters from voting more than once.

Lucena said the election process for the National Constituent Assembly is audited by local and international entities, and that her organization will ensure and protect the Venezuelan people’s right to vote, despite recent threats by the opposition to stage violent protests and prevent the election.

“We continue to implement security measures to guarantee Venezuelans the extra security we are accustomed to,” Lucena said in an interview.